The West Virginia teacher strike highlighted a nationwide problem. After we published our database showing the falling or stagnant pay of teachers, we received hundreds of responses from teachers who detailed their experiences. And one common topic that emerged was an under-reported factor in the rise of teacher discontent: Yes, their salaries have been stagnating, even declining, but that's been exacerbated by the increase in health insurance premiums. Laurie, a high school teacher in New Jersey, wrote to Vox, "Our salaries have gone up less than 2 percent, but our contribution towards the pension and our health care benefits... [Read More]

Caterpillar Inc will close two facilities and is contemplating the closure of its engine manufacturing plant in Illinois, which together could potentially result in about 880 job losses, a company spokeswoman told Reuters on Friday. [Read More]

Lizbeth Mateo seems to be a woman that's going places. She was the first person in her family to go to college. She has a law degree, and her own firm in metro Los Angeles. She was just appointed to a California state senate committee. [Read More]